


At Death's Doorstep

by Dieinafire33



Category: Original Work
Genre: Demons, Grim Reapers, M/M, Magic, Multi, Multiverse, Original Character(s), Sacrifice, Self-Sacrifice, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dieinafire33/pseuds/Dieinafire33
Summary: When the spirit Ulysses possesses the body of a man with amnesia, he takes it on as his duty to uncover the memories of the body he occupies.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	At Death's Doorstep

The car plowed him down and ground him up into nothing, destroying his body and sending his soul into the abyss.

“Hey, Grimm!” Ulysses shouted into the infinite black expanse.

“Yes, Ulysses?” The void called back.

“That was fun, Damian was a good identity while he lasted. What motherfucker was street racing at midnight?” Ulysses asked Grimm. 

“Joseph Altest, playboy philanthropist. At least Damian was killed by a rich guy.” Grimm told him.

“Alright, send me back out!” Ulysses shouted.

And in an instant he was gone, returned to the mortal fold. 

Ulysses dug his hands into the sand and spit his own wet hair out of his mouth.

_ God, long hair. This is gonna be a pain. _

He dragged himself to his feet and stretched. One thousand loud cracks later, he was hunched over on the ground clutching his side in agony.

“Grimm!” He called out on the dark, vacant beach.

Sand swirled around him and took the shape of a humanoid in a long robe.

“Yes, Ulysses?” Grimm said.

“What’s wrong with this body? Why am I not getting any data out of him?” Ulysses asked.

“Well, when you possess a human, you get the data of who they are from their memories. It seems like long, tan, and handsome here doesn’t have any memories. Maybe he’s got brain damage.” Grimm suggested.

“I’d usually be happy with a blank slate, but this hurts. Not the good hurt.

_ I could go for some ‘good hurt’ right now. _

Grimm groaned, “Fine, I usually make you go a day without them, but you can have Infernal access. Don’t push this body too hard, don’t want to burn him out.” 

Faint red light emanated from Ulysses’ new skin. 

“God, that feels so much better.” He said. He slowly rose from the ground. Red light shot from his eyes and shone on the sand like spotlights.

“Good luck, catch you on the flipside.” Grimm said with a bow. His form collapsed into a pile of sand.

Ulysses’ eyes and skin dimmed to the faintest glow, almost imperceivable to the human eye. 

“It’s good to be back!” He shouted, spreading his arms wide. He pulled his hair back and ran his finger nail along it. One flash of light later and it was incinerated, leaving Ulysses’ new body with a cleanly shaved head. 

_ Miami Beach. 19 Palm Avenue.  _

Memories blasted themselves into Ulysses’ mind. A gigantic house. Six bedrooms, but only two residents: whoever last owned Ulysses’ new body, and a gorgeous redhead.

“Perfect. Now, new body, we just need a car.” Ulysses mumbled to himself. He wandered along the edge of the water until he found a parking lot. A tall, burly man stood outside of his Jeep smoking a cigarette. Ulysses snuck behind the Jeep and peeked in the window.

_ Damnit, no keys. _

“Excuse me, sir.” He said in a faux-polite tone.

“Gah, fuck!” The burly man shouted in shock. He punched Ulysses in the stomach and threw himself into his Jeep, starting the engine. 

The rumble of the Jeep’s engine grew slower and slower as Ulysses’ breathing quickened.

“Not so fast!” Ulysses shouted, immune to the freezing of time. Ulysses threw the car door open and grabbed the man from inside, launching him into the sky. He stopped a few inches away from Ulysses.

_ Damn, I love that. _

The engine roared back to life. The driver side door of the Jeep flew off and crumpled like tin foil, while the driver flew twenty feet across the parking lot. Ulysses pulled himself into the driver’s seat and took off out of the parking lot, speeding down the streets and sliding around corners. 

19 Palm Avenue. The peak of human decadence. A mansion fit for a modern king.

_ This bum lives here? _

“You did well for yourself, pal.” Ulysses said, patting his body on the chest. He waltzed to the front door and turned the door handle.

Locked.

Ulysses’ heart sank, but in that moment, came the savior he would be glad he met for the rest of his life.

The gorgeous redhead.

He was clad in tight bluejeans and nothing else. Curly red locks accented his striking blue eyes. He opened the door and clasped Ulysses in a hug

_ This is what I’m talking about. _

“Jesus, Alan. Where have you been? What happened to your hair?”

_ Uh-oh. _

“I…” Ulysses stuttered and tripped over his own words before finally managing to spit something out.

“I don’t know, Freddie,” Ulysses said. He didn’t understand how he suddenly knew the redhead’s name, but it came just in time. “I woke up on the beach and I barely remember anything. I only knew to come here and find you. Do I live here?” He asked. 

“We live here, Alan. You really don’t remember anything?” Freddie asked.

“Nothing.” Ulysses said.

_ I’m Alan, I guess. _

Freddie pulled Ulysses inside and into the living room, probably one of many. Ulysses sat down on a couch that most likely cost more than all the money he ever had. 

“Can you fill me in on anything? Why do I live in a mansion, why did I end up on the beach?” Ulysses asked.

“We got married as soon as it was legal, and the mansion was a gift from my mother. Another sad attempt to make amends, but it worked. It’s been right about twenty hours since you vanished. I woke up around midnight yesterday night and you were gone.” Freddie explained. 

Alan’s memories flooded Ulysses’ brain. Alan’s brain.

The mansion, Freddie’s mother, their bed. 

_ Their  _ bed.

“God, I need some sleep.” Ulysses said with a groan. Freddie took his by the arm and led up several flights of stairs to the master bedroom. A comically large bed, nearly twenty pillows.

_ I could get used to this. _

Ulysses threw himself onto the bed and shut his eyes. Freddie positioned himself close to him, wrapping his arm around Ulysses.

Sunlight streamed in the windows and struck Ulysses directly in the face. 

Freddie was already gone, leaving Ulysses alone in a massive bed.

“Grimm?” He called out softly.

A familiar voice made its way into his ears.

“Yes, Ulysses?” Grimm responded.

“Any chance you want to zap in here and restore poor Alan’s brain?” Ulysses asked.

“I’ve still got work, you know that.” Grimm said.

“It was worth a try. Have any theories on Alan here? Any insight?” 

“No, not yet. I’ll keep asking other spirits passing through if they know anything. Anything else?”

“Do you still love me, Grimm dear?” Ulysses asked.

“Yes, darling.” Grimm responded sweetly.

“That’s all I needed, I’ll see you soon.” Ulysses said.

“Let’s hope not so soon, for Alan’s sake.” Grimm said with a chuckle, and he was gone.

Freddie came up the stairs with two plates of breakfast. He set them on the end table and crawled back into bed with Ulysses.

“I heard you mumbling to yourself as I came up the stairs. Are you doing better than last night?” Freddie asked.

“Yeah, I just needed to talk some things out to myself, I guess. I had some bad dreams.” Ulysses said.

“Oh? What were they about?” Freddie asked. He grabbed the plates of food and gave one to Ulysses. 

Ulysses started to chow down on a sausage and speak at the same time, “I was back in England, back in Medieval times. You were there, except it wasn’t you. Your face was different. We ran away together, running away from some crime, and you performed some kind of ritual where you had to kill me.”

“Back in England? Have you been there before?” Freddie asked, confused.

_ I’ve said too much. _

_ Fuck it. _

“As a matter of fact, I have. Freddie, I’m not Alan. I’m an Infernal, a spirit that takes over other people’s bodies until they die so I can live forever. My boyfriend is a Reaper that can control souls, and I took over poor Alan’s body. Normally, I would pretend to be Alan, but I have no memory of who he was. So I can’t.” Ulysses said angrily. His skin began to emit a burning red light as he stabbed his fork into a sausage and swallowed it whole.

Freddie laughed for a moment before leaping out of bed and away from Ulysses’ glowing red skin.

“Jesus, you’re not kidding. Alright! We can talk about this!” Freddie shouted.

“No need to yell, I’m not going to hurt you.” Ulysses said plainly.

Freddie slipped his hand into his back pocket and grabbed his phone.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Cops can’t stop me.” Ulysses said. He set his breakfast on the end table and got out of bed. 

Freddie ripped his phone out of his pocket and slammed his finger on the emergency call button.

“Alright, here we go!” Ulysses shouted.

He clapped his hands together and time crawled to a standstill. He snuck behind Freddie and cracked his phone in half, scattering bits and pieces of its insides around the room. 

Time sped up. Sparks shot out of every part of Freddie’s phone before dimming down to their death. Freddie leaped away from Ulysses and crashed into his bed.

“Like I said, cops can’t stop me. If you would just calm down, I’m willing to reveal some secrets and maybe, just maybe, find a way to give you your husband back.” Ulysses explained. 

Freddie froze on the bed and nodded.

“Alright. I’d like to introduce you to somebody very special to me, my boyfriend. Grimm!” Ulysses called out. The sunlight dimmed and Ulysses’ shadow changed to the shape of a much taller man in a long cloak.

“Yes, Ulysses?” Grimm asked.

“Make yourself known to poor Freddie here, please.” Ulysses requested. His shadow stretched across the floor and stopped in front of Freddie.

“Pleased to meet you, Frederick.” Grimm said politely. His form bowed as well as it could.

“Freddie, this is my boyfriend, Grimm. He’s a Reaper, a powerful spirit that processes souls after they pass from this world. He specifically is a Reaper of Paradise. He crafts pocket realities where a soul can exist in peace for eternity.” Ulysses explained.

“Yes, I’m a big hit amongst the mortals.” Grimm said with a chuckle.

Ulysses waltzed up to Freddie and stood face-to-face with him, only mere inches apart.

“Grimm, can you explain to Freddie how the Infernal system works?” Ulysses asked.

“Of course. Every Reaper can keep one soul forever, typically that of someone they cared for before they became a Reaper. Whenever someone is on the brink of death, I can approach them and offer them salvation in exchange for letting Ulysses pilot their body for a time. While Ulysses is in Alan’s body, Alan’s spirit is wandering the many worlds, learning new things. Alan’s deal was made after he had lost his memories, so I have no clue why he was drowning with bricks tied to his feet. Alan still has barely any of his memories, except the same memories Ulysses has.” Grimm explained.

“So, how long until Ulysses gets out of my husband’s body?” Freddie asked.

“Until Alan decides to come back, and he won’t come back until he has his memories again. He has no reason to, without someone to come back for. The only way to get Alan back is to restore his memory with Ulysses in his body.” Grimm told Freddie. 

Ulysses grinned at Freddie, “So it seems I’m here until we can solve the mystery of Alan’s near-death experience.”

Freddie clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

Grim’s shadow form vanished, leaving the mortal and Infernal alone together. 

“Get in my jeep, freshly stolen. I’ll take you to where I washed up.” Ulysses said as he made his way outside. Freddie followed behind him but kept his distance.

“Go to Hell.”

“Not real, anyone who wants to suffer gets their own personal Hell. There’s your Infernal fact of the day.” Ulysses said.

“Believe me, I’ve had all the facts I need for today.” Freddie said.

The two got into Ulysses’ stolen Jeep and sat in silence all the way to the parking lot where the Jeep was stolen.

“This is the place. I woke up by the water down there.” Ulysses said, pointing to the water line.

“This is where Alan and I met, this beach.” Freddie said with grief in his voice. “I was having a birthday party when I was sixteen, my friend Erin introduced me to him. He ended up burning his hand trying to light a cigarette and I took him back home to give him some burn cream.”

Ulysses grinned at the floorboard of the car, “That’s sweet. It reminds me of how Grimm and I met.”

“How did you two meet?”

“I was a peasant living on Grimm’s father’s land. He had a large banquet for his birthday that he snuck out of, and I found him alone by a lake. This was obviously before he was a Reaper.” Ulysses said.

“How did he become a Reaper?” Freddie asked.

“Well, it was a funny thing actually. A Reaper is created when someone would truly die to protect someone else. I was dying of an illness and Grimm- Titus back then- performed a ritual to give up his life for mine. I didn’t want him to go, but I lived my life without him until I died. I never loved anyone else. When I died, he made me his Infernal, so we could be together as long as I wanted.” Ulysses explained. His mouth crept in a gleaming smile the more he thought about Grimm.

_ The ritual. Alan. _

Ulysses felt like he had been punched in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

“Alan knew about magic.” He wheezed. 

“What?” Freddie asked.

Ulysses took a moment to catch his breath, clutching his stomach.

“Alan knew about magic somehow, I remember seeing a large circle of runes drawn in the sand. It was dark, the moon was above him. There was a crowd of people around him.” Ulysses ranted.

“Do you know who any of the people were?” Freddie inquired.

“No clue, not yet at least. We need to see if we can find the remains of any runes, maybe they weren’t wiped away.” Ulysses said. He pulled himself out of the Jeep and ran to the beach. 

Freddie followed behind him and scouted the edge of the water.

“Were you near the water?” He asked.

“No, no way. The water would’ve wiped away the runes. We were close to dry land.” Ulysses said.

Another punch to the stomach, taking Ulysses to the ground.

“Beneath a tree!” He shouted through the pain. The day’s visitors to the beach stared at him as he crumpled the ground, clutching his stomach.

“Over here!” Freddie shouted.

Ulysses sprinted toward Freddie at a speed slightly beyond human. His skin glowed faintly.

“What did you find?” Ulysses asked. The drawings in the sand answered his question.

“Are these what we-”

“Yes! There’s only a few runes left. I’m not entirely sure what kind of runes these are. Grimm!”

A face formed in the sand.

“Yes, dear?” Grimm asked.

“Do you know what these runes are?” Ulysses asked.

“They look like they’re foreign, certainly not from Earth. They appear to be closer to that of the language used in Mineek, populated by Avian races. The runes, in order, mean ‘free flight’, ‘memory’, and ‘loss’.” Grimm explained.

“Thank you Grimm, you can go back home.” Ulysses said. Grimm’s face turned back into typical sand. 

“Free flight, memory, and loss? Sounds like they wanted to erase Alan’s memories.” Freddie deduced.

“Yeah, exactly. I think I know what’s breaking the spell, too.” Ulysses said.

“Really? What do you think?” Freddie asked.

“Love.” Ulysses said matter-of-factly. 

“That’s a real fairytale answer. You sure about that, mister Infernal spirit? The secret to magic is love?” Freddie asked snarkily. 

“It’s because I was remembering how I met Grimm. I haven’t thought about that in a long time and digging up my own memories seemed to dig up more of Alan’s memories.” Ulysses explained.

“So, what do we have to do?” Freddie asked.

“I’ve got to go back to where it all began. Get in the car.” Ulysses ordered. He climbed into the car with Freddie and started the engine.

Back to where it all began.

The ceiling lights flickered inside of the Denny’s. 

“Seriously?” Freddie said.

“What?” Ulysses asked.

“This is ‘where it all began’? What’s so special about a fast food joint?” Freddie asked.

“Good sir, this is no ordinary fast food joint! This is a Denny’s!” Ulysses shouted.

“So?” Freddie said.

“Titus and I had our last date here.” Ulysses explained.

“Why’s he suddenly Titus again?” Freddie asked.

“I call him Titus when he’s back in a human form.” Ulysses continued his explanation.

“So he wasn’t a Reaper?”

“Reapers get time off. Next time a new Reaper of Paradise shows up, He’s going to get some major time off. I’m talking maybe a millenium. Last time we were in a Denny’s it was 1984, I was named Albert. Titus was in the body of someone named Klaus, and we decided to meet up for a date. It was the first time we had breakfast together since the lifetime we met, and that breakfast was absolute shit compared to how good Denny’s is.” Ulysses finished his explanation.

“So, was this date special by any standard?” Freddie asked.

“One thousand years.”

“One thousand?” Freddie exclaimed. 

“It was a big milestone for us, so we celebrated. We clogged our poor human arteries so much that morning, we were shocked we didn’t die then and there.”

One more punch to the stomach later, Ulysses was ranting and raving.

“Slow down man, I can’t understand you.” Freddie said.

“Alan found a cult.” Ulysses managed to spit out.

“Found a what?”

“A cult. Erin, a bunch of other people, kidnapping and killing people to gain magical powers. They found Alan, and rather than sacrificing him, they wiped his memories, just in case he survived being tied to bricks at the bottom of the ocean.” Ulysses said, clutching his stomach.

“Do we know where he found them?” Freddie asked.

“In a building on Dodge Island.”

“Let’s go!” Freddie shouted, running out of the Denny’s. Ulysses threw a hundred-dollar bill onto the table and followed him, jumping into the jeep.

The sun was setting. Ulysses and Freddie sat in a parking lot, watching the road to Dodge Island. 

“There, that’s Erin’s car.” Freddie said, pointing at a green Ford. The Ford was followed by a long caravan of other cars, all heading for Dodge Island. Freddie turned to Ulysses, “Let’s follow them.”

“No.”

“What?”

“I said no,” Ulysses said. “You’re fleshy, you can’t survive whatever they have, be it knives or guns. I’ve got Infernal powers, I can heal this body after a couple of bullet wounds. You wait in the Jeep, I’ll tail one of their cars on my own.” 

“How are you going to do that?” Freddie asked.

Ulysses was already gone, a cloud of black smoke in the driver’s seat. The red Dodge at the back of the caravan swerved before pulling itself back onto the road. The window rolled down and a hand popped out; thumbs up. 

Ulysses rolled the window back up and closely followed the car in front of him. After several minutes, the caravan pulled in front of a warehouse and the drivers made their way inside. Ulysses slinked down to the floorboard, waiting for all of the drivers to make their way in, dragging hostages.

After five excruciatingly long minutes, Ulysses rolled out of the car and onto the ground.

“Grimm, anything you can tell me about what I’m about to get into?” Ulysses called out in a whisper.

“Twenty people in there, ten cars. My guess is each one brought a hostage.” Grimm said, speaking out of the car radio. “I’d say to use a Time Stop and take out the cultists, then use Influence to control the hostages and make them drive themselves home without questions. Interrogate Erin, find out the reverse ritual to give Alan’s memories back.”

“Thanks, Grimm. I’ll see you soon, soon as we find a new Reaper.”

“Red Lobster this time?” Grimm asked.

“Red Lobster it is.” Ulysses said. The radio went dead again and Ulysses sprinted toward the entrance to the building, which seemed to be a small warehouse. He ran his hand along the lock and melted it. Ulysses threw the door open. Ten people in black ski masks stood in a circle around a group of hostages. 

“Alan! Oh my god, what are you doing here?” Erin said. 

“Shut up, freak!” Ulysses shouted as he clapped his hands together. The squirming hostages came to a standstill.

Only the hostages.

“That’s a new trick, isn’t it, Alan?” Erin said, cocking his head.

He took off his mask and threw it onto the floor and the others followed suit.

“But you aren’t Alan, are you, Infernal? We’ve been tracking you ever since you woke up after we dumped Alan off the pier. We were ready-” Erin was quickly shut up by Ulysses’ fist in his stomach. Glowing blue shackles clasped onto Ulysses’ arms and bound his hands behind his back. 

“Nice try, Infernal. Your Reaper won’t be able to save you here, we’re under runic protection. It’ll take days for someone to break through the barriers.” Erin said with a smirk.

Time unfroze, and the hostages began squirming and shouting again.

“You think I give a shit about your magic barriers? Fuck yourself, pal.” Ulysses said. He spit onto Erin’s chest.

Erin punched Ulysses in the stomach and tripped him, pinning him on the ground.

“You think you know anything about what I’m capable of?” Erin asked, gritting his teeth.

“Didn’t say that.” Ulysses said.

Erin stomped on Ulysses’ face.

“Take him to the back, boys. I want to have a talk with him before our party tonight.”

Two buff men who cast the handcuffs onto Ulysses carried him into the back of the room and slammed him into the wall.

_ This can’t be good. _

Ulysses woke up with Erin’s boot on his neck, crushing his windpipe.

“Good morning, Infernal. It’s a shame you stumbled on our little operation, I might’ve liked to get to know someone as powerful as me.” Erin said.

“You’re still human, I have the advantage.” 

“Shut up!” Erin shouted, kicking Ulysses in the mouth and knocking one of his teeth into the back of his throat. Ulysses spit the tooth at Erin’s knee.

“It’s not fair that you Infernals are the only ones that get to live forever-”

“We’re not.”

“What did you just say?” Erin asked.

“We’re not the only ones that get to live forever. Any soul that truly wants to be reincarnated is, albeit without the memories or cool powers. In a universe pretty far from here, it’s populated entirely by one guy who lives an infinite number of lives all at the same time.” Ulysses explained.

“Good to know, but I’m going to go even beyond that. With enough power from this blood, I can ascend to become a god!”

“No you can’t.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut your ugly fucking mouth!” Erin shouted. 

“I’ll shut yours, pal.” Ulysses said. His bindings snapped and he lunged onto Erin, Ulysses digging his thumbs into Erin’s eye sockets.

Nine guns were aimed at him within seconds.

A Jeep without its driver’s side door plowed into the side of the building, breaking through the wall. Freddie fell out of the driver’s side and sprinted into the building, pointing his own gun at the crowd of insane cultists.

“Where did you get a gun?” Ulysses asked.

“Another gift from my mom,” Freddie said. “Now let him go!”

“It seems we’re at an impasse. I won’t let you shoot any of my boys, so let’s make a deal.” Erin offered. The other cultists lowered their weapons at his order.

“What’s your offer?” Freddie asked, lowering his weapon slightly.

“You leave, and I,” Erin pulled a gun from his pants, “Kill our husband.”

Erin pulled the trigger, and all hell broke loose. 

Erin turned to dust instantly, along with all the other cultists. The hostages screamed in horror as Freddie’s bones shattered and his skin split open, revealing a black ooze instead of blood. 

Ulysses pulled himself to his feet and held a morbid fascination in Freddie’s transformation. 

The hostages sprinted out of the warehouse as the black ooze coming from Freddie’s body formed into a ten-foot tall form, carrying a scythe.

The ooze monster that was once Freddie screamed without vocal cords. Streams of green light sprayed through the holes in the ooze and tore it apart, reducing the ooze into nothing. Ulysses was left alone in the warehouse.

“Grimm!” Ulysses shouted.

“I saw it too, believe me. Looks like I might be getting some time off, Freddie is a Reaper of Paradise. He’s already chosen Alan as his Infernal, now we just have to restore the memories.” Grimm said. 

Ulysses stood up and ran his hands across his shaved head. Another punch to the stomach and his mind was blasted with nearly thirty years of memories.

“You could’ve restored his memory at any time, right?” Ulysses asked.

“Yeah.” Grimm said, laughing.

“You asshole! You just wanted to make another Reaper!” Ulysses shouted.

“Guilty as charged. Red Lobster on Biscayne, seven o’clock?” Grimm said.

“It’s a date. I’ll see you soon, Titus.” Ulysses said.

Grimm’s presence faded.

Ulysses fiddled with his fork. A confident, tall man sat across from him. His eyes were jet black, reflective like a gemstone. 

He spoke in a deep, slow voice, “So, are we going to live in Alan and Freddie’s old place?”

“Yeah, if you want.”

“That bed sure looks comfy.” Titus said with a smirk.

Ulysses squirmed in his seat and chuckled softly.

“It’s been too long.”

“Too long.”


End file.
